Let The Children Have A World
by thunderbird5
Summary: It was a hot and sunny day on the Tracy farm. Grandma sat on the porch swing and watched the boys as they ran around playing. She's got a little story she wants to tell Jeff.


**Disclaimer:** How I wish the boys were mine. But no, they belong to someone else.

Thanks so much to my unknown beta who now have a name Heinz-Lee for reading and editing this story for me.

As always you lot make my day with your reviews. Thank you all for making me smile. Happy reading guys.

It was a hot and sunny day on the Tracy farm. Grandma sat on the porch swing and watched the boys as they ran around playing. She turned to Jeff, as he stood clutching his phone in his hand and gave a sigh. She really had to talk to him and make him understand that his Wife had left him with five beautiful children. She beckoned him over and gestured for him to sit beside her.

As Jeff sat down the swing gave a small squeak and began to move back and forth. Something told him that his Mother was about to tell him a little story. He turned off his phone and passed it to her. She smiled as she took it from him and put it in her apron's pocket.

She felt proud as she turned to face him again, "Do you still believe in fairy tales, Jeff? You should still keep a place for your boys, even if your wife is gone."

Grandma smiled at her son as she watched Scott running after Virgil and John, who had probably done something to make his hair stand in all directions. Gordon and Alan sat to one side making a fort out of … What was that they were using? Jeff yelled as he caught sight of the junk his youngest children were playing with. "What in heaven's name are you two doing?"

Grandma smiled when she realized that they were playing with a few boxes and an empty trashcan. She pulled Jeff back down and she said, "Don't tell me that you can't remember the days you use to play with those sort of things. Let them be and listen to me."

Jeff looked back at his Mother and nodded for her to continue. "When your Father past away, I felt like my world had ended. That was until I looked at you, then I realized that I still had you and I still had a reason to live – the world still went on without him. You use to make all kinds of forts with everything you could lay your hands on."

Grandma just had to smile at the sheepish look on her Sons face as he remembered the fort that he had made from about ten old trash cans. He chuckled as he remembered the racket they had made when the wind blew them over. Grandma went on as she watched Scott, Virgil and John run passed, "Let the children have a happy world to live in, Jeff. Let them know that you're still there for them."

Jeff couldn't help returning his Mother's smile. He understood what she was trying to tell him. As much as his Wife's death had affected him, he couldn't leave his children to fend for themselves as he had been doing for the last few months. He should have been out there playing with them, not moping around like a lost soul. He should have showed them how much he loved them and what they meant to him.

"I love my boys, Mom, just as much as I loved them when I first saw them."

He jumped up again and emptied his pockets onto the swing beside his mother. He made up his mind to be there for his children. From that day forward he would be a father again.

She watched her youngest grandsons leave their fort to run to their father. Jeff kicked off his shoes in the middle of his run to increase his speed as he tried to catch them. Grandma packed her sons things in an organized heap as she let the wind carry her words to him. "Let your children have a carefree life were they will be willing to come to you. This will make your bonds grow stronger and your hearts will heel together."

She smiled as the boys were mercilessly tickled by their father. They looked more joyful than they had in months. Soon afterward, they walked into the house for lunch with huge smiles on their faces. John was the last to enter and she was glad to see the hope in his eyes as he looked back at her.

Jeff hugged his mother as he helped her up and he saw tears of joy in her eyes. As they followed the boys she said, "I want you to show them every single day, how much you love them and how much their mother loves them, even if she isn't here anymore, Jeff."

Later Scott went outside to retrieve his Fathers belongings. He put them on his father's desk and went to search for the rest of the family. He found them by the piano. He smiled to see his father sitting next to Virgil at the piano.

Virgil hadn't played the piano since his mother's death. Jeff indicate that Virgil could start playing as he gave him a warm hug The room grew so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and it looked as if Virgil would take off to shut himself away as he had done before – that was until Grandma raised her voice to sing, "Let the children have a world."

A huge grin spread over Virgil's face as he began to play. Soon the others joined in and they could sense that joy had come into their lives once more. They knew that things wouldn't be the same without their mother, but they would carry each other through the tough times. Even if one of them would never join her voice to theirs again, they knew that she was watching over them and somewhere in Heaven, she would be singing with them.

Many years had passed since then. Many things had changed in the family that now gathered around Virgil's baby grand. Many of the boys were men now, Jeff had grown older and wiser, and Grandma had more grey hairs. There was one thing that the years hadn't changed, though; they still sang the song that had brought them back together during those dark days when their father was almost lost to them.

As Jeff walked passed his now grown-up boys rooms to check on them he softly sang the now familiar words. "Let the children have a world."


End file.
